A Halloween treat: how to easily be vegan

Posted on October 31, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Happy Halloween, foodies!

Today I have a special treat for you all, that won’t cause you to feel too full or even gain an ounce. My wonderful older brother, Matt and his girlfriend Lindsay, were so sweet to do this post for you all. They are THE vegans. The ones who know what’s up in the vegan world and are here with several tips that will help anyone go vegan. Both Matt and Lindsay are University of Southern California graduates and currently live in Los Angeles. Matt is a musician, currently spinning as a DJ with my twin brother Travis in their group called I’m Bad You’re Bad. He also co-founded a new website called Flux City “the online media hub for dance and festival music”. Lindsay, a recent May graduate of USC, is a full-fledged actress with an IMDb profile to boot. She earned her degree in theatre and you will see her on the big screen coming soon in a film called “He Loves Me.” So on top of their badass lifestyles, they’re also vegan and care a lot about health. So, read on and let’s show them some love.

Lindsay’s Tips

Whole Foods is your mecca – and Trader Joes is your mecca light

Hummus should be overused in every way possible, and the more falafel the better – as these are some of the easiest go to meals a vegan can find

When making rice for stir fries and things, it is fun to sometimes use a can of light coconut milk in replacement of water in order to make “coconut rice”. This works especially well when making Thai dishes and when using jasmine rice (An easy go to for me is throwing in a bunch of diced up raw vegetables, like carrots and cucumber, along with tiny pieces of avocado and pieces of raw cashews – this makes a fun and easy little rice dish)

When buying vegan cheese to use for pizzas and things, Daiya cheese is the way to go

When baking – a smashed up or blended half banana or 1/4 cup of applesauce makes a great egg replacement (For muffins, cookies, bread and even pancakes!)

Nutritional Yeast = great substitute for grated parmesan

Warmed almond milk with a touch of cinnamon and sugar is a great before bed time treat

Every frozen meal by “Amy’s” and “Health is Wealth” are your friend

When going out to eat – asian and middle eastern restaurants are your friends, as well as Italian (cheeseless pizza or eggless pasta are easy peasy). If you are at a restaurant that is not so accommodating – look at all of the side dishes the menu offers and compile your own main dish (it is always pretty easy to find a grain and some vegetables that they can cook without butter!)

Matt’s Tips

French fries are vegan.

Soup is a good option and especially good now that it’s getting colder. A lot of soups are vegan, just make sure there’s no cream in them. You can still easily find creamy vegan soups though!

Whole Foods, again, is the best place you can possibly go to get stuff.
-They carry a bunch of vegan salad dressings…”Follow Your Heart” brand. Caesar, Thousand Island, Creamy Garlic and more.
-This is the place to find vegan cheeses. Daiya is definitely the best. It tastes a lot creamier than regular cheese though, so use less. Teese, if you can find it, is pretty good. Vegan Gourmet is alright, but takes forever to melt.

TEMPEH BACON! On its own, tempeh is not really that good… get Fakin’ Bacon. Use it in pasta, on sandwiches…it’s so good. Just fry it a little bit and crumble it up and its delicious.

As far as fake meats go, there are two that blow away the competition.
GARDEIN –> Find it in the frozen foods isle. It comes in little mini meals but you can really use it for whatever. I’ve made everything from burgers to stew with gardein…it is incredible. Can’t recommend it enough.
SEITAN –> Great, great texture and it will assume the flavor of whatever you want it to. Cook it with some spices and herbs and then put it in pasta, in sandwiches or wraps, etc.

Avocado and cucumber rolls are great in a hurry

Pizza can actually be very easily made vegan with no cheese. “Pizza bread” we like to call it. It’s good

One of my favorite fast things to make is a wrap that I make for snacks or for dinner… Get a pita, some of that vegan salad dressing, hummus, some lettuce, tomato slices or other veggies if you want, and a fake meat if you’re hungry. Just throw the pita in a pan and start heating it up on the stove while you cut up the veggies and/or fry the fake meat (optional).
Take the warm pita, put a layer of hummus on it, then add veggies. If you did fake meat put that on top, put some vegan dressing on it, wrap it up and its delicious! Takes about 5 minutes to make.

Big thank you to Matthew & Lindsay!!

My Halloween food inspiration: Pinterest.

Posted on October 28, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

It’s that time of the year again, and all the cool people are calling it “Halloweekend”. Not sure how I feel about that, but we’ll just roll with it. Since Halloween isn’t until Monday, I feel I have a bit of time to think about what I want to bake for the occasion. And I look no further than Pinterest, my new favorite time-wasting, obsessive, online collage-making website.

Since trick-or-treating is out of the question for this 22-year-old, and the costume parties don’t come til tonight, I thought baking and coming up with some fun recipes for the fall/Halloween would be a great way to ring in the holiday.

And I want YOUR help. Please comment and let me know which recipes you’d like to see made, and I will make the recipes with the highest marks!

(from nutmegnanny.com)

The honey crisp apple sangria. (mixing the most delicious apple into an awesome cocktail? I’m in.)

(from foodgawker.com)

Sweet potato cupcakes with a toasted marshmallow frosting. Looks challenging, but definitely some awesome flavor combos.

(from jamiecooksitup.blogspot.com)

Pumpkin Pie Sheet Cake. Mixing pumpkin pie with a yellow cake sounds heavenly. What do you think?

(from picky-palate.com)

Cinnamon Roll Pumpkin Vanilla Sheet Cake. Well that’s a mouth full. And probably quite literally. Sugar overload perhaps, but looks mouth-watering to me.

(from legumeloyalist.com)

Salted Chocolate Caramel Pretzel Bark. No, it doesn’t contain pumpkin. But something about these candies scream fall.

These are just my top picks for dessert recipes. If you’d like to see more of my Pinterest boards, click here.

And please feel free to comment and let me know your top choices you’d love to see featured on That Foodie Girl.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

WIAW: pumpkin mugs, vegan sausage & apple pie replacement

Posted on October 27, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Happy What I Ate Wednesday, everyone! The following snacks/meals happened over the span of a week, so I thought I’d share what I’ve been eating.

A colorful, veggie-ful salad. I’ve been making salads for lunch that always satisfy because of the massive size of the salad as well as all the veggies it contains. For this particular salad I added cucumber, shredded carrots, orange bell pepper and strawberries. Notice the lack of feta cheese: time to be vegan at every chance I get. And yes, I was eating this while studying…it’s midterms week.

Ok, this photo doesn’t do my dinner justice. It looks unappetizing, I get it. But it’s delicious and filling. I’ve been enjoying sautéing zucchini, squash, broccoli and onions in a pan with garlic and olive oil, and mixing it in with one link of Field Roast’s vegan sausage. This particular sausage is their dried apple sage sausage. It was delicious and kept me really full.

Dessert replacement. Doesn’t taste like a replacement–tastes better than a dessert. I cut up half of a honey crisp apple (because the organic ones are HUGE) and sprinkled some cinnamon on top. It’s like apple pie minus the bad-for-you aspect. It’s a win win.

I’ve been enjoying my morning cup of coffee in this adorable pumpkin mug I found at Target. How can you not be happy while sipping from this little guy?

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Cosmic Cafe: a centering meal

Posted on October 24, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

As you walk into Cosmic Café, you’re greeted by bright colors, assorted Buddha figurines and a fresh breath of relaxation.

Located at 2912 Oak Lawn Ave., Cosmic Café brings Dallas one of the very few truly vegetarian restaurants, offering up Indian-inspired dishes and even some vegan items.

Seating is open, and if it’s a nice day, their front porch is a great spot to dine al fresco. The vibe of the place is very relaxed, and you feel as if you’re not in Dallas anymore. The scenery is never boring. From Asian lamps hanging to Indian rugs on the ceilings to a little Buddha figurine watching over you as you take a bite of your samosa, Cosmic Café brings you to a new place.

The wait staff is very friendly, will help the vegetarian newcomers and is always happy to explain the menu.
Speaking of the menu, instead of appetizers, they offer “primordial energy”, “souper nova” for soups, “big bang entrees” and “celestial light offerings.” If you’re not so much of a hippie or not quite in tune with your inner Buddha, have no fear. Patrons range from young people, old people, office lunches and devout Cosmic Café eaters. Vegetarian and non-vegetarians alike can enjoy their entire menu and not even miss the meat.
Menu items range from soup to salad to stir-frys to smoothies. Whatever diners order on the menu, they can expect all-natural, healthy meals with plenty of greens.

If you’re just stopping by for a light snack, the soups are a satisfying, delicious option. The squash bisque is lightly spiced and goes well with a side of their fresh garlic nan bread. Other light snacks include their smoothies, made with our without dairy, or one of their sweet options like the banana, honey, peanut butter and tahini on nan.

Curry lovers can get their fix, with a new curry each day, but be sure to ask the waiter or waitress the spice level of the day. Their curries vary between spicy levels, so it’s important that you ask if your dish includes curry sauce. Also daily are their rotating vegan desserts, with no dairy products whatsoever.
Cosmic Café’s main dishes range from their curried vegetables, samosas, dahl, spinach enchiladas, stir fry, falafel with pita, black bean burgers and more. With so many options, it makes it hard to choose just one, and also makes it easy to forget the lack of meat.

The stir-fry comes with a grilled tofu, asparagus, cauliflower, bell peppers, onions, carrots, squash, snow peas and ginger served over basmati rice and a side salad. The vegetables are grilled and topped with a light curry sauce that makes for a very bland meal. The veggies are fresh and plentiful, and the salad takes up half the plate. It’s a nice way to fill up on veggies, but the blandness was a bit surprising, seeing as curry usually has a kick to it.

Ruml’s falafel, served on nan with yogurt dressing, tomatoes, onions, sprouts and lettuce, proved to be filling, delicious, but slightly dry. Falafel, a chickpea patty, should come a little moister, but had mouth-watering hints of lemon and other Indian spices.

And food isn’t the only thing Cosmic Café offers. Patrons can also get their “om” on. They hold yoga classes, poetry readings and meditations in the upstairs portion of the building. But before you go up, you must remove your shoes, as the sign says at the base of the stairwell.

Dallasites who believe meat and cheese are the only meal options, should head to Cosmic Café to see what vegetarianism is all about. Not only are their tons of options, but they’re tasty and filling. And if you know what your mother told you when you were little: you can’t know you don’t like something until you’ve tried it.

This food review can also be seen in today’s edition of the SMU Daily Campus.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Lol Ha, the best food in the Riviera Maya

Posted on October 19, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Good morning, foodies!

Vegan week is over and I’m kind of sad. Last night I celebrated by eating a chicken sandwich and had some frozen yogurt, but I ended up feeling kind of guilty…weird. I can say that my week of being vegan definitely changed me. I felt lighter, never bloated, clean, healthy and energized. Although it was frustrating at times, for the most part, eating vegan made me realize it is possible. For now I will try to lead a well-balanced food life, switching between meat and meatless, dairy and dairy-less. If I can have a meat substitute or a soup without dairy, I know I will go for those options.

Now I can talk about other foods!

Lol-Ha

What: upscale Mexican and American

Where: Akumal, Mexico (Riviera Maya)

The best food south of Cancun. A 1.5 hour drive from the Cancun airport, rests a beautiful white sand beach town along the Riviera Maya called Akumal. A quaint quiet family town that was originally a coconut farm then a small yacht club, Akumal was founded in 1968 by Pablo Bush Romero, a businessman, diver, archaeologist, writer, historian, hunter, philanthropist, adventurer, you name it. When Romero founded the town, it was a great spot for scuba divers, as “Akumal” means place of the turtle.

Romero, who happens to have been my boyfriend Ryan’s grandfather, passed away when Ryan was still a young boy. An amazing man who seemed to have accomplished almost everything and anything in his lifetime, from discovering a shipwreck right off Akumal bay to going on safaris in Africa to writing several books, he left his legacy as well as the beautiful Akumal for all to enjoy. With it, the Hotel Akumal Caribe was born, which has been under the ownership of Ryan’s parents, Laura and David Wolfe for years and years.

Lol Ha, the main restaurant of the resort, is the most successful and delicious eatery in all of Akumal. Yes, you could call me biased, but I’m proud to say they truly do serve the best dishes. Lol Ha keeps up with the food trends in the U.S. and still stays true to the Mexican classics done right.

Before we start, I’d like to say my photos don’t do the food or drinks justice. I’ve eaten at Lol Ha more times than I could begin to count, and this is one of the first times I tried to take photos of the food. Because of the dim lighting and the night of sharing pizza, I didn’t get to snap photos of some of the dishes I enjoy every time I’m there. So I also took some from the Lol Ha Facebook page.

This is a photo of the original beach bar in 1974. This structure is actually still in place, with several other palapas surrounding it today.

This is the interior of the charming Lol Ha by night. There’s live music several days a week and gorgeous lighting that makes for a romantic setting.

One of my favorite Mexican classics: the queso fundido. A creamy, thicker version than the “queso” you may know of in Texas, this “queso” is thick enough to put in a taco and add chorizo or even seafood. I like it with chorizo, and the richness of the Oaxaca cheese makes for an overwhelmingly delicious appetizer. I’d recommend sharing with at least 2 others, otherwise you won’t have room for the main course.

My go-to dishes at Lol Ha are the tampiquena and the Chilean sea bass. The tampiquena is unlike any other–it’s made with beef tenderloin instead of flank steak. It makes a huge difference. The dish comes with rice, beans, guacamole (only the freshest), tortillas and a little quesadilla with salsa. You can eat the tenderloin alone or you can make tacos with all the fix-ins. I’m not much of a red meat eater anymore, but when I do eat it, I can’t resist the Lol Ha tampiquena.

Their sea bass comes resting on a bed of creamy fettucini with a bit of bacon, cherry tomatoes and arugula. The sea bass is a buttery texture that just melts in your mouth. So delicious, and a great option for a lighter meal.

As simple as it is, Lol Ha does their brownies right. They’re the perfect consistency, not too hard not too soft, and they have melty chocolate chips throughout the brownie. An impressive dessert list, Lol Ha offers everything from bread pudding topped with house made meringue to chocolate lava cake to homemade key lime pie, to everything in between. And unfortunately, it’s all good.

Their homemade key lime pie rocks. Not too tart and sweet, and a homemade crust. Yum.

The impressive chocolate mousse.

Not pictured are their awesome cocktails and an extensive beer list. Bar manager Sam will whip up any cocktail you can dream of and more. My favorites are their mojitos, caipirinhas and the new basil cucumber gin drink. Pick your poison, they’ll make something you’ll love.

So, if you’re ever in the Riviera Maya (i.e. somewhere between Cancun and Tulum) you must stop by Akumal even if it’s just for happy hour and a snack. If you can stay for dinner, even better. The atmosphere is unmatched, and there’s no better place to enjoy dinner than on the beautiful beach of Akumal.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Vegan week continues: camping and other obstacles

Posted on October 17, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Happy Sunday, everyone. I hope everyone is getting a little time today to relax and unwind.

(I found this beautiful Monarch on my run Friday morning on the Katy Trail)

My weekend was very adventurous, mostly due to my vegan week challenge. After 4 days of being vegan, I thought to myself, this is a piece of cake. Then, Friday evening rolled around and my boyfriend and his friends invited me to try Hard 8, a BBQ meat-only place in Coppell. My friends wanted Tex-Mex and pizza. Well, I was stumped. But once I start a challenge and promise myself (and all my lovely loyal readers) I will do something, I have to follow through.

I went with the hardest choice: Tex Mex. We ate at Bandito’s, a notoriously greasy but delicious Tex Mex joint right near SMU. I noticed there was not even one vegetarian option on the menu, so I kindly asked for veggie fajitas. She told me she’d get them to whip up whatever veggies they had and bring it out with some corn tortillas. I was relying on the rice and beans to give a bit more sustenance, but their beans AND their rice are not vegetarian (i.e. they cook with lard or chicken stalk most likely). Since I had my margarita in hand, I didn’t mind too much, making my little grilled zucchini, squash and onion tacos. It was kind of bland, so salt was my best friend. It was the first time I left a Tex Mex restaurant not feeling bloated. I had more energy, and I even ordered this beer: yes, it’s bigger than my face.

Then came Saturday: camping day. I went with my boyfriend and his business fraternity up north to Bonham State Park for a night of camping that ended up being sleeping in his car since we didn’t rent tents in time. It was fun time swimming and hanging out, and unfortunately I have no photos. Since camping is notorious for cooking out (i.e. MEAT), I had to really plan ahead and bring my own vegan sausages that ended up being eaten out of a hot dog bun, and some vegan muffins for the morning. Everyone seemed interested in the foreign bratwurst-looking links on the grill, and a few others tried them and loved them!

Now it’s Sunday afternoon and I admit, I miss chicken and cheese. Those are the only things I truly miss. But I will say I feel awesome, much lighter and more energetic. I don’t ever feel bloated (probably due to the absence of dairy) and I get fuller on a much smaller portioned meal. My digestive system is working better than ever, my exercise is easier and I just feel all around better.

Tuesday evening this vegan week ends. Until then, I’ll have a few more updates for you.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Vegan Week Welcome

Posted on October 14, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Now that both my parents are vegan and so is my brother and his girlfriend, I began to question, what’s the big deal? What’s so great about being vegan? So before heading out to Mexico, I went on a weeklong diet of being what I consider “good” and “healthy.” Basically, I avoided refined sugars, ate as many fruits and veggies as possible and steered away from simple carbs. After coming back from Mexico and having a few nights of clearing my head, I decided it was time to go all out and try to be vegan for at least a week.

I headed straight for Whole Foods, and went straight for the fresh veggies, fruit and meat replacement section. Practically skipping away with my seitan, soy-free Italian “sausages” and more, I did shed a few tears when I walked by the cheese section with my hand over my eyes. Ok, it wasn’t that bad, but this girl loves her cheese.

Although I only plan on being vegan for a week, I’m sure I might change my mind in the future. You haven’t lost me completely, but I am on to this whole vegan thing.

Here are some highlights of my Day 2.5 of being vegan:

My breakfast: this bar + a tangelo + a banana
The bar claims to be peanut butter chocolate chip, but I didn’t find a single chocolate chip.

My lunch: my rainbow salad
Organic Girl super greens + honey crisp apple + carrots + bell pepper + cucumber
-hummus & pita chips

My dessert:

Sprinkle’s Cupcakes vegan red velvet cupcake. I had to try it. It was so delicious, I’d go as far as to say it’s better than the real deal. They used coconut as a replacement, and I’m not sure what else. All I know is it was awesome.

I’m feeling lighter, healthier and fuller after smaller portioned meals. So far so good.

Stay tuned for more vegan updates, follow me on Twitter @thatfoodiegrl (without the i) and become a fan of That Foodie Girl on Facebook.

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

Riviera Maya Food, beach and back to reality

Posted on October 13, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Today is a sad day. The day I had to wake up and not hear the waves crashing, and smell the ocean breeze along with my freshly squeezed orange juice, while staring out at the bright blue sky. Today I woke up to pouring rain in Dallas, Texas, only to realize I had a lot of work to catch up on before heading to class. Sad.

But, I do have some exciting things for you foodies and Foodie Girl readers! …after I walk you through a fun lunch we had in Tulum, Mexico.

Be Tulum

What: seafood + traditional Mexican

Where: Tulum

Before reaching the actual restaurant on the beach, we walked on stone steps through the jungle, passing by little tree house like bungalows each with their own private pools, shaded by palm trees. A wonderfully romantic spot, we kept walking, and were greeted by a trendy balcony bar with seaside decor, a nice sized infinity pool overlooking the beach, and a bunch of little wooden tables and chairs. On the actual beach sat big beds with brilliantly colored pillows, a perfect spot to relax and tan on the beach.

Sitting right on the beach for lunch, we got a perfect amount of shade and breeze. Pictured is my boyfriend on the left and our friend Spencer on the right. Only problem with dining in the sand is the uneven surface! Looks like they’re about to tip over!

We all started off with a Corona. Perfection. Then came the food.

I loved the details of this gorgeous boutique hotel. Especially at the table. The little shell shaped wicker basket made for a cute and fun way to display their house made tortilla chips. A little trio of different salsas came with it, including their delicious pico de gallo, which was amped up a bit with fresh lime juice. Mmm.

I had their caprese salad. As you can see, the tomatoes weren’t exactly bright and fresh, but it made for a refreshing beachside lunch. The walnut pesto was really light and delicious, pretty much making the whole dish.

Ryan had their flank steak tacos, filled with bell pepper, onion and a side of guac. He enjoyed them a lot, but there wasn’t anything too special about them.

Tulum is such a quaint little beach town filled with amazing boutique hotels and fun eco friendly restaurants. If you’re ever in the Riviera Maya area, definitely drive south to Tulum. It’s a not-to-be-missed kind of spot.

…and for my announcement:

THAT FOODIE GIRL GOES VEGAN! For a whole week (starting yesterday evening) I will be eating vegan, searching for the best Dallas vegan restaurants and will be letting you know lots of details like products I liked and things I missed the most. Stay tuned!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

A little break from reality

Posted on October 7, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

Good morning, foodies!

It’s a wonderful day today. I’m headed south to my favorite vacation spot: Akumal, Mexico. Located just south of Playa del Carmen in the Riviera Maya, Akumal is a quaint, beautiful and relaxing beach spot. I can’t wait for all the awesome food and my little break from school for a bit. Click here if you’d like to see the resort I will be at (my boyfriend’s family’s resort called Hotel Akumal Caribe).

I’ll be back Tuesday night, so get ready for a fun post on Wednesday!

Bon appétit,

ThatFoodieGirl

My Dallas Restaurant Wish List

Posted on October 6, 2011 by thatfoodiegirl

I’ve reached a point in my food blogging world where I need to go experience a new restaurant in order to provide new content for you all! This never happens to me seeing as I’m constantly trying out new eateries around here. Unfortunately, school work and my A&E duties for the newspaper have taken over me lately. Enough excuses. I’m going to share something I usually like to keep secret: my restaurant wish list. This means places I’ve been dying to try, and for some reason have never gotten around to trying them.

(These are in no particular order, and will be reviewed as we go along. Stay tuned )